Nestled along the New York border, the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts loom over a veritable vacation wonderland offering an excellent array of winter sports, art museums and summer activities.

Known simply as the Berkshires, the area is a large county bearing the name of the mountain range, spread over 946 square miles and dotted with picturesque towns, rolling hills and ski resorts. Since this is New England, there are historic town centers such as Stockbridge with its famous Red Lion Inn and Norman Rockwell Museum, college towns like Williamstown home to stately Williams College, and lots of art, including the country's pre-eminent contemporary art gallery Mass MoCA.

To get the full feel of the Berkshires, you will do a lot of driving, mainly on Route 7 which runs north-south from Great Barrington to the Vermont border. One note on driving in the Berkshires -  the speed limits change often and sometimes around curves and while descending hills. Enforcement is strict so if the sign says "25 MPH," it's good practice to follow it.

The southern part of the county, easily accessed from New York State via Route 23 through Great Barrington or Route 90 from Albany or Boston, consists of gently rolling hills, while the northern area is more mountainous and includes the state's highest mountain, Mount Greylock. Close to the Vermont border are the towns of Williamstown, home to the Clark Art Museum, and North Adams, home to Mass MoCA and the spectacular semi-permanent installation of works artist Sol DeWitt.

Every season in the Berkshires is full of activities, from spring hikes to summer fruit picking and cultural events to fall foliage to winter skiing. The centerpiece for many Berkshire vacations is sports - either winter sports such as skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling or warm weather activities such as golf, kayaking, hiking and mountain biking. But sports enthusiasts should not miss the area's stellar artistic offerings, from the museums to the summer theater and music festivals.

The variety of activities available is a bit daunting. Culture lovers arrive in summer to take advantage of the numerous theater and music performances - everything from Tanglewood to Jacob's Pillow, America's oldest dance festival. In the fall, the mountains explode with color and visitors flock for spectacular foliage viewing. Shoppers can stop at the numerous antique shops that dot the landscape or visit the outlets in Lee (http://www.primeoutlets.com/locations/lee.aspx). For a town stroll, Great Barrington has a great collection of art galleries and restaurants in a compact downtown.

For a magnificent view, the Mount Greylock summit road is open from late May to early November (website). In the winter, the mountain has trails for snowshoeing, snowmobiling and cross country skiing.

Just as impressive as the natural beauty are the area museums. The Norman Rockwell Museum near Stockbridge celebrates that iconic artist while the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute aka "The Clark" in Williamstown specializes in American and European art from the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries. Best of all is the sprawling Mass MoCA contemporary art galleries, which have led to a revitalization of North Adams, a formerly down at the heels industrial town.